


The Legal System only fixes so much

by grimmfairy



Series: Scott and Stiles vs. the Greek system [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Derek Hale & Scott McCall Friendship, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hazing, Legal Drama, Liam is in college, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-scott/liam, Protective Derek, Protective Stiles, Scott Feels, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Scott and Stiles are Roommates, Scott is famous on campus, Shy Liam, Stiles Stilinski's Name is Genim, not so platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 13:01:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3611004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmfairy/pseuds/grimmfairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Scott reports his hazing and fills out seemingly endless paperwork and gives his statement over and over to the police and on the witness stand, there is nothing left to do but await the verdict for the fraternity and its members.</p><p>Somehow, Scott thought that the result would be a little more satisfying. But closure isn't something that a piece of paper can give him, it's something he needs to find for himself.</p><p>Maybe in the form of Liam, the boy who called the police.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Legal System only fixes so much

In the last year, Scott had given a sworn statement to the police, been bullied by university officials to settle out of court, hired a lawyer to advise him legally, and waited impatiently for the court to hear the case and make a decision on the assault charges being levied against the fraternity president and the brothers that were in the photos. The fraternity itself had managed to retain its house with the understanding that their suspension would be lifted in two years. 

He was terrified when the verdict was being handed to the judge. 

Now he was numb. His testimony had gone remarkably smoothly, as far as arguing against the "consensual prank gone to far" angle the defense was trying to push. It was hard to prove though in the face of Stiles, Derek, and Liam's testimonies. Liam especially was instrumental in the case as he was a witness to the beginning of the night and provided eyewitness account of the incident that triggered the assault. 

_"Mr. McCall, please identify the photo in question," Scott's lawyer handed him a smaller version of the photo that the court was seeing._

_"Um, it's me," Scott said blankly. "Specifically, the skin of my lower back where a thin-tipped sharpie was pressed so hard that it broke the skin."_

_A foul word was etched into skin in the photo the police had taken when Scott was giving a statement._

_"Would you say that you were targeted because of your sexual preferences?"_

_Scott blushed furiously, though after being grilled by a university lawyer about why he would LET them do this to him, it wasn't the most embarrassing question he'd had to answer,_

_"That was the general idea, they did it to punish me," Scott swallowed nervously, and made eye contact with Sheriff Stilinski in the audience. Stiles and Derek had exams they couldn't miss, but his surrogate father-figure was here for him and that made him relax slightly._

_"What else do you remember about that night after you contacted your friend?"_

_Scott swallowed and squared his shoulders._

_"I remember being tied to a bed and forced to drink alcohol. I remember being threatened with sexual assault, and people laughing when I begged for help," Scott had practiced his testimony with his attorney for hours, something he was happy for now. "Then...nothing. I was far beyond my limit for drinking."_

Scott jumped when Stiles touched his shoulder. He was so lost in the memory of his first time on the stand that he had managed to change out of his suit on autopilot without noticing. He was wearing sweatpants and a black sleeveless t-shirt, and he had a sinking feeling that Stiles had been there the whole time with that same worried expression on his face. He had probably even helped dress him, considering that Stiles was still dressed in his dress shirt and slacks and Scott's suit and jacket were neatly folded on his desk, something Scott wouldn't have done. Scott sank down on his bed, too numb to be embarrassed about his apparent inability to dress himself.

"Hey, buddy. You alright?" Stiles's voice was colored with deep concern, something that Scott was equal parts grateful for and sick to death of. 

Stiles sat down next to him on his childhood bed. Stiles knew every inch of Scott's room, every chip in the paint and stain on the carpet. Hell, he had made many of them himself. Scott sighed and laid back to stare at the ceiling.

"I thought...I thought I'd feel different if he was punished. Better, worse, something," Scott shifted, seeming to curl in on himself. "The trial, the lawyers, the testimony. It's just  _done_.  But I don't feel different. I don't feel anything. "

Stiles mulled this over for awhile, sitting in comfortable silence with his oldest friend. It made sense to him in a way, he supposed. Scott had been fighting a battle he had wanted no part of for a long time now, and his friend was exhausted. The campus had immediately known his identity as some of the photos were posted online by the time he had gone to the police, so he had been the subject of much scrutiny, not all of it positive. Scott had taken to staying in the dorm room and only left for classes or to go to Derek's apartment with Stiles to play videogames or watch movies or do homework. The university had tried to kick Scott off the lacrosse team and there had been talk of revoking his scholarship due to underage drinking after it was clear that . Some impressive legal talk and law enforcement haggling behind closed doors (Stiles was pretty sure that his dad had pulled some strings for his honorary son) had squashed that idea, as well as the refusal of the lacrosse coach to remain silent in his support for his player. 

The weekend after the initial event, Scott brought his friends to his house in Beacon Hills for the weekend. As soon as the door to Scott's childhood home opened Melissa had pulled her son into her embrace and wrapped her arms around Scott tightly. Scott clung to his mother for much longer than a normal 'it's-good-to-be-home' hug as the older woman rubbed gentle hands over his back. Stiles was pulled into it as well in a weird sort of group hug that Derek smiled at from the side. Until Melissa grabbed him too. Derek had looked so surprised and slightly terrified of the woman when she wrapped him in a tight hug that Scott had starting laughing, and Derek and Stiles pretended not to notice him wiping his eyes with the back of sleeve. His first meeting with Melissa was something that Scott would treasure forever. Derek had eventually snapped out of it and was gracious and polite for the entire weekend. Stiles had teased him about finally meeting a new person without pulling the 'sourwolf-face' much to Scott's amusement. 

Derek had remained a good friend throughout the whole ordeal, hiding Scott at his apartment when revenge-seekers looked for him, ripping down flyers that people printed calling Scott a liar over a picture of his face before Scott saw them, and spending time with both Stiles and Scott in Beacon Hills during breaks and long weekends. 

But right now, Derek was at the school, and Melissa was at work. Only Stiles was with him. His old  fraternity  president was being punished, and all Scott wanted was to be held by someone so he could maybe sleep for the first time in forty-eight hours. Stiles would do it  in a totally platonic way  if  he asked, and Scott really  appreciated  that because he was probably going to ask. He sighed again as Stiles flopped down next to him.

"This is so surreal, this whole thing. It feels like I'm living someone else's life," Scott turned over to his side, facing Stiles. The dullness in his normally expressive eyes alarmed Stiles greatly since usually Scott couldn't hold a poker face to save his life.

"It's over though," Stiles tried to sooth his friend. Scott's face crumbled, the stress of the day finally hitting him in the chest like a freight train. His eyes started to mist with stressed tears.

"No, it isn't. It will never end," Scott moved closer and laid his head wearily on Stiles's shoulder. "It's on the internet, all over the local news, and don't tell me it won't come back to bite me every time I apply for a job."

A few minutes passed in heavy silence until Scott suddenly blurted out "Will you hold me?"

Stiles accepted Scott's request for comfort by gently maneuvering his friend into the little spoon position and wrapping his arms around his friend's waist, rubbing small circles into Scott's pulse point. Scott wondered idly if being held romantically would feel the same, and he tensed.

"What's wrong buddy?" Stiles asked nervously. He was worried he had crossed a boundary somehow.

"I just..." Scott took a deep breath and rushed through the rest of his words. "I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable."

Scott was rigid in Stiles's embrace as Stiles processed the words. Then he laughed lightly and shrugged.

"Scott, if it bothered me you would have found out about a long time ago. Like, years ago, probably when you snuck into my room for a month to sleep in my bed after you watched the Grudge," Stiles smiled evilly and tickled Scott's sides for a few seconds, smiling at Scott's giggles as the boy relaxed. "Besides, there are studies that show lots of guys bro-cuddle. It just proves how secure I am in my heterosexuality, and how secure you are in your puppy-like tendencies."

" _Bro-cuddle_?" Scott grinned and he felt his eyes drooping, finally relaxed enough to sleep.

"Uh, yeah. We're _bros_. We _bro_ -cuddle," Stiles said matter-of-factly, and promptly yawned loudly. "But when you find someone to _non_ -bro cuddle, by which I mean other non-cuddling things, I reserve the right to be jealous."

"'m not a puppy," Scott mumbled as he nestled deeper into his pillow. Stiles tightened his arms.

"Yes, yes you really are."

Scott sighed, but this time he was happy. Everything could wait until tomorrow.

Melissa found them like that hours later, her son and his best friend curled up on top of the comforter like the little boys they used to be. She put a blanket over them and walked out to start dinner.

* * *

 

Derek and the Sheriff had arrived for the celebration dinner by the time Scott woke up, and Derek had brought a very nervous visitor with him.

"Liam!" Scott grinned happily. Liam smiled shyly at him and held out his hand for Scott to shake. Scott instead gathered the shorter boy into a bear-hug. "You came!"

"You invited me, and Derek said he'd give me a ride," Liam said into Scott's shoulder. "I don't think I had much of a choice."

"Scott, let him go. Humans need to breath, remember?" The Sheriff ruffled Scott's hair. "How do you feel, son?"

"Better, I guess," Scott said honestly as he released Liam. He thought that maybe Liam was blushing, but he wrote it off as a reaction to oxygen deprivation. "It's weird to think that everything is done."

Dinner that night was loud and consisted of large steaks with trimmings, mashed potatoes, and wine for everyone. Or it would be if Scott and Stiles and Liam liked wine. Later, they retreated to the living room to continue talking with the TV droning in the background. Scott was slowly slipping into his food coma when Liam tapped him hesitantly on the arm. 

"Can we talk?" Liam looked nervous, like he thought Scott might say no.

"Yeah, sure. Come on," Scott got up and led Liam to his kitchen, flipping Stiles off when no one else was looking because his friend was making suggestive faces. "So...what's up?"

Liam shifted on his feet, nervous and twitching where he stood. Scott leaned against the counter, giving the other boy some space.

"I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't sound kind of weird, but..." Liam looked down at his feet and mumbled something.

"Sorry, what?" Scott asked, taking a step forward. Liam took a deep breath and looked up into Scott's brown eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to stop them," Liam's blue eyes were teary. "I know that if it had been me, you would have tried to stop them."

"Liam, it wasn't your fault," Scott placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. "I don't blame you."

"But..." Liam scrubbed his eyes with his palm. "But we supposed to be brothers. Brothers don't let that happen to each other. I should have said something sooner or called the police sooner or...or stood up for you. But I was so scared they'd do it to me too!"

"Hey, that's understandable. Calling the cops was brave--" Scott tried to sooth Liam but Liam shrugged his hand off and turned around so he wouldn't have to look Scott in the eyes.

"No, wasn't! If I was really brave I would have told them I'm bi too and then told them to go fuck themselves!" Liam's hands were shaking and tears streaked down his face. "I should have stood by you."

Scott was at a loss for words at Liam's confession. Liam finally turned around face the anger in Scott's eyes, only to find the familiar eyes filled with soft understanding.

"Liam, it's okay. I'm okay, I really am," Scott gently placed his hand back on the shorter boy's shoulder. "Do really think I would have wanted you to go through the same thing I did?"

Liam shook his head slowly. Scott smiled at him and pulled the boy to his chest for a hug.

"It's been a tough month," Liam mumbled. Scott laughed.

"Understatement of the year," He answered. Liam pulled away and wiped his eyes.

"So...you're not mad at me, then," Liam sighed in relief. "I was wondering then if...if maybe we could hang out? You know, outside the courtroom?"

Scott's eyes widened and he searched for words. Just as Liam was starting to doubt, Stiles cleared his throat from the door. Derek stood trying to smother his laughter behind them.

"You'll have to forgive Scott. He's not great with the whole..." Stiles made vague hand motions towards the boys.  "This. He says yes, by the way."

He walked into the kitchen and retreived the pie that he had made for dessert.  They watched him leave and Scott turned to look at Liam, blushing bright red.

"So..." Scott echoed Liam. "Do you, um, like food?"

He kicked himself mentally. 

"I love food."


End file.
